The idea of trading their star running back Christian McCaffrey seemed ludicrous to the Carolina Panthers just a couple of years ago. Fast forward to 2022, and the Panthers are not only taking calls on McCaffrey but are also willing to consider the incoming offers.
According to ESPN’s David Newton, multiple teams have contacted Carolina to inquire about McCaffrey in recent weeks and discovered that the Panthers might do the deal if the right offer comes in. While the team isn’t pushing to move McCaffrey out of town at all costs, there is a sense around the NFL that a first-rounder and a useful player could be enough for them to greenlit the trade.
Christian McCaffrey had his best season in the NFL in 2019, when he earned All-Pro honors after becoming only the third player in history to have 1,000+ yards in both rushing and receiving. He finished the year with 1,387 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns while adding 116 catches for 1,005 receiving yards and four TDs. After the campaign ended, McCaffrey inked a four-year, $64 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
Unfortunately for Carolina, the big money invested in McCaffrey is yet to pay off. After his historic season, McCaffrey struggled with injuries that limited him to just 10 games in the past two years. He also failed to be efficient when healthy, managing 667 rushing yards in 2020 and 2021 combined.
It is unclear which teams contacted the Panthers about McCaffrey, but it is believed that the Buffalo Bills is one of them. The Bills want to supplement their productive passing game with a quality run game and believe McCaffrey could help them achieve that despite his recent struggles.
